1. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT, TOTO, WE’RE TRAVELING THE SIX TRAITS ROAD!

2. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are the SIX TRAITS?
How is SIX TRAITS different from current writing instruction?

3. Miss Dorothy, the overworked and underpaid teacher, wonders, “Is this one more thing I have to do?”

4. Don’t be afraid, My Pretties and Handsomes, it’s really nothing new!

5. The SIX TRAITS writing program provides a common language for teaching and learning the CRAFT of writing. Its elements are not new. Good writers and good writing address all SIX TRAITS:
Ideas and Development
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions

6. Let’s look at the SIX TRAITS!

7. What is IDEAS AND DEVELOPMENT?
The students receive a writing prompt. It has a FORM, TOPIC, AUDIENCE, and PURPOSE (F-TAP).
The students must generate IDEAS to address the TOPIC and DEVELOP the ideas so they can address the PURPOSE of the writing piece. It is the CLARITY and FOCUS.

8. What is ORGANIZATION?
The student receives a writing prompt. It has a FORM, TOPIC, AUDIENCE, and PURPOSE (F-TAP).
The student must ORGANIZE the writing in a specific FORM. The writer examines the sequencing of the beginning, middle, and end of the writing piece.

9. What is VOICE?
This trait addresses the “A” (audience) in the writing prompt. The writer’s own personality and the writer’s awareness of the person or persons who will be reading the piece are evident.

10. What is WORD CHOICE?
This trait encourages the writer to choose specific language appropriate to the topic, audience, and purpose of the writing prompt.

11. What is SENTENCE FLUENCY?
This trait examines how sentences have been put together or ordered. It encourages variety in sentence length and structure.

12. What is CONVENTIONS?
This trait is the “cleaning crew” of the writing piece. It comes in after the revisions have been made and the writing has its shape and purpose “nailed.” It is the editing of the piece.

13. That’s an overview of SIX TRAITS, but there are probably still some questions!

14. Teachers ask, “Can we divide up the traits to teach year by year?”
Writing is a complex process, so teaching it in pieces and isolation doesn't seem logical and won't help students become better writers.

15. What's the best thing about the traits?
It's the language. The shared vocabulary adds such a rich component to the teaching and assessing of student writing. The traits are really nothing new; that's probably why people like them so much. They are the foundational skills of good writing.

16. Is the SIX TRAITS writing program the Emerald City of writing instruction?

17. MCPS believes SIX TRAITS instruction allows students to develop their writing skills. It teaches writing as a craft.

18. Favorite picture books, short stories, and novels can provide examples of and outstanding vehicles for teaching and understanding the SIX TRAITS.

19. My Pretties and Handsomes…
A Warning
My Pretties and Handsomes…

20. The SIX TRAITS help students and teachers examine the craft of writing through its six distinct lenses.

21. The Six Traits DO NOT take the place of teaching students to SUMMARIZE, ANALYZE, COMPARE, INFER, DETERMINE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE, and all those other good strategies essential to understanding and responding to text.

22. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are the SIX TRAITS?
How is SIX TRAITS different from current writing instruction?